Volkswagen Golf GTI to be Electric ‘Monster’

The next-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI is set to go electric, with the company’s boss promising it will be a “monster”.

The Golf GTI will adopt an electric powertrain by 2030, according to an interview with Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer by the UK’s AutoExpress magazine.

“At the end of the decade we will bring an electric Golf [GTI], and that will be a monster car,” Schäfer told the publication.

“I'm very happy with the progress. It's cool. You can make it exciting, it has to be exciting, it has to be authentic. If we bring a GTI, it has to be a [true] GTI.”

The company previewed the electric Golf GTI in 2023 with the ID GTI concept.

{{AD}}

‍

Part of keeping the Golf GTI true to its hot hatch roots means the electric version will be front-wheel drive.

However, for those wanting all-whee-drive traction, Schafer confirmed there are plans for an electric Golf R.

Cult favourite, the Volkswagen Up GTI, is also set to live on in spirit, with the ID.1 GTI joining the range ahead of the Golf GTI.

“We'll bring through a whole group of GTI, starting with the ID.2 GTI which is the first one coming electrically,” Shafer said.

“When we started this journey, [we told the] the development teams ‘we’ve got to be proud of the GTI of the future’, and the team's taking that on.”